"Lessons from the Iberian integration into the EU after sixteen years"

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to use the integration of Spain and Portugal into the European Union as an opportunity to reflect on what has happened to both countries since 1986 and to draw some lessons that may be applicable to East European countries as they pursue their own processes of integration into the European Union. It examines the integration process and how it has affected political, economic and social developments in Portugal and in Spain over the last sixteen years. The examination of these two cases will shed further light into the challenges and opportunities that new member states will face when trying to integrate in the EU.